Merchandising package



y 1943- E. A. MILLE 7 2,318,557

MERCHANDISING PACKAGE Filed Oct. 14, 1941 Eugene ALMIJZ Der,

Patented May 4, 1943 UNITED STAT TENT OFFICE Miller Cereal Mills, Incorporated, Omaha,

Nebn, a corporation of Nebraska Application October 14, 1941, Serial No. 414,947

(Cl. Zilt-Al) 4 Claims.

This invention, relates to improvements in merchandising packages and to a novel binder for use therewith. V

In the merchandising of certain lines of commodities, notably foodstuffs, it is more or less conventional practice, for the purpose of stimulating sales, to give away with one or more of the packages purchased a premium such as a dish, bowl, or the like. article has been bound in unwrapped form with the package or packages of commodities as a combination package, by a binder which, While serving to a degree the utilitarian purpose of securing the package units together, nevertheless resulted in a combination merchandising package which lacked display attractiveness and sales appeal. Moreover, due to the unwrapping of the premium article and the manner in which it was bound to the packages of commodities, the premium article was very often broken and/or chipped during shipment and handling.

The present invention contemplates an im- 7 proved merchandising package in the nature of one or more packages of the commodity and an unwrapped premium article all bound together by an improved binder which not only securely holds the units of the combination package together but which also, and this is of importance when the premium article is in the nature of a frangible dish, bowl, or the like, functions to prevent breakage cr chipping thereof. A merchandising package in accordance with the present invention possesse a neat and attractive appearance, has enhanced sales appeal, and further attractively exposes and thus renders visible to a high degree the. premium article. Moreover, the present invention contemplates an improved binder of the slip-on type which can be manufactured and supplied complete and thereupon merely slipped over the package units upon the latter being brought together. More specifically, the binder of the present invention includes a part shaped and arranged to fit into a depression formed in a face of one of the package units, preferably the unpackaged premium article, thus to secure the latter Heretofore the premium dising package of the present invention, certain parts thereof being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the package illustrated in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the improved slip-on binder of the present invention.

While not limited thereto, the invention will be described in connection with the merchandising of a cereal food product which is sold in package form and to one or more cartons of which a premium article such as a cereal bowl is secured to form a combination package. It will of course be understood that the invention has application to the packaging and merchan-- dising of other commodities and other types of two cartons of cereal food secured in side-byagainst unintentional slippage or separation of a cereal bowl or dish l2. the latter is such that when the bowl is laid in package.

side relation by a binder to be described; The top faces of the adjacent cartons provide a substantially square carrying surface for the premium article which, as shown, takes the form The diameter of inverted position on the carrying surface provided by the carton tops, its large diameter end is disposed well within the square outline of the As is conventional, the bottom of the bowl is provided with a circular rim orbead M on which the bowl bears in use, the rim defining a circular depression [5 which opens upwardly when the bowl is inverted as shown;

The cartons Iii, H and the bowl l2 are secured together to form a combination merchandising package by the improved binder l3 of the present invention which is preferably constituted by an elongated strip I 8 of paper board, cardboard or like material, the strip having its ends secured'together whereby it forms an endless loop. The strip is cut to a predetermined length and, when its ends are connected, it forms a loop of sufiicient diameter and, by reason of its formation from flexible paper or cardboard, of sufficient flexibility that it may be readily slipped over the carton and premium units making up the combination package while at the same time snugly securing the package units together.

In order to securely anchor the bowl against substantial sideward slipping movement relative to the cartons, the strip carries a disc-like looking part 20 which is preferably formed from paper or cardboard and has a diameter such that it can be readily seated in the depression I5 of the bowl with its circular edge engaging against the inner side or wall of the bowl rim II.

In the illustrated embodiment, the ends of the strip I8 are secured in overlapped relation by wire staples 22 which also serve to secure the disc 20 against the relatively under face of the under end of the strip. Thus, by reference to Fig. 1, three thicknesses of binder material extend across the bottom of the bowl, with one thickness of material spanning the rim It at diametrically opposed points thereof. Accordingly, in addition to securing the bowl against relative sideward movement, the binder offers protection both for the bottom proper of the bowl and also for the rim thereof.

The strip I3 is relatively narrow in. relation to the Width of the cartons and the outer surface.

of the unpackaged bowl. Hence the binder, when applied to secure the package units together, has no substantial masking effect on the display or advertising matter contained on the cartons or carton labels, and further exposes to view a greater area of the unwrapped premium article than possible with binders oi the character heretofore used. Moreover, the binder may be suitably colored or printed to enhance the display and sales appeal characteristics of the package as a whole.

While the depression [5 and the binder disc 20 seating therein are of circularshape in the combination package described and illustrated, it' will be understood that the invention is 110511111 ited in this respect, as unwrapped articles having non-circular depressions or cavities in their relatively outer surfaces, with correspondingly shaped parts carried by the binder for seating therein, may also be employed according to the present invention.

It will be seen that the merchandising package as described has a high degree of sales appeal, that both the commodity units of the package and the premium article are effectively bound together and attractively displayed, and that the binder employed therewith is so constructed and arranged as to protect the exposed premium article from breakage or chipping in handling. As the binder is of the slip-on type and hence capable of ready application, it may be slipped oi the package by the purchaser without damage to either the cartons or their contents or to the premium article with equal facility.

It will be further understood that forms of securing the disc 20 to the strip J8 other than the stapling means illustrated may be employed. Moreover, while the combination package is shown and described as made up of two cartons of the particular commodity and the premium article, the invention is not. limited in this respect, but, on the other hand, may consist of a single large carton of the commodity, or even smaller cartons of greater number than two, to

'15 face, and a preformed binder securing said unit and article together comprising an elongated strip of flexible material whose ends are permanently secured together to provide an endless loop adapted to be slipped over said unit and package, and a circular locking part seating in said depression, said part being secured in face engagement to the under face of the strip so as to be wholly disposed within the loop.

2. A merchandising package comprising a packaged unit, an unwrapped article disposed in inverted position on said unit and having a circular depression formed in its relatively upper side or face, and a binder securing said unit and article together comprising a strip of flexible material having its ends overlapped, a circular locking disc having face engagement with the under end of the strip, and common securing means for securing said overlapped ends and said disc together, whereby said strip provides an endless loop adapted tobe slipped over the unit and package and said lockingdisc is disposed within the loop to seat in said article depression,

3. A package binder. of the slip-on type comprising an elongated strip of flexible paper mao terial having its ends secured to provide a closed 'loop, and a disc-form locking part carried by said binder being secured in face engagement to the'under face of the strip to extend inwardly of the loop for seating in a depression formed in the relatively outer face or side of the article bound thereby.

4. A package binder of the slip-on type comprising an elongated strip of flexible paper material'having its ends overlapped, a disc-form locking part having face engagement with the under end of the strip, and common securing means for securing said overlapped ends of the strip and said part together, whereby said strip provides an endless loop adapted to be slipped over a plurality of articles to be bound together and said locking part is disposed within the loop to seat in a depression formed in the relatively outer face or side of one of said articles.

E. A. MILLER. 

